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Sanae Ishida

A crafty little atelier in a grey city

Monday Outfit: A Nod to Nautical

June 1, 2015

Good morning! At long last, I have a K outfit to share...I've really missed making things for her, and sewing this maritime-y dress felt like easing into a lively conversation with a long lost friend. It's been many, many weeks since I've stitched up anything for K. Has she been pining for new outfits? Nope, it hasn't bothered her one whit, and she's merrily clad herself in animal print from top to bottom daily. The big news, however, is that a little someone is now braces-free. Her teeth ... Read more

Filed in: sewing, sewing for K • by sanae • 14 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

May 29, 2015

Happy Friday! When I first started reading sewing blogs, I kept running into the acronym "UFO" and puzzled over that. Those of you in the know are aware that it stands for "unfinished object" and has nothing to do with extraterrestrials. Until these last few weeks, I've rarely had UFOs. It drives me nuts to have half-done projects lying around so if I get as far as cutting out a pattern, I will do everything I can to finish it within the day. However. With multiple exciting events ... Read more

Filed in: sewing • by sanae • 12 Comments

Serendipity

May 27, 2015

I'm a sucker for serendipity. I asked about coincidences for a giveaway a while ago, and delighted in the comments. And to date, this one is still the best serendipitous moment I've ever heard. Anyway, I'm about to go into major photo shoot mode for book #2, and for the past few months, I've been doing some prop scouring. I knew I wanted some vintage-looking ephemera -- particularly a film camera -- so I've been casually browsing through thrift stores and flea markets whenever I could. I ... Read more

Filed in: book, life • by sanae • 10 Comments

Limiting Beliefs + Monthly Income Report + Furoku Membership Sign-up

May 25, 2015

The husband tells me that I have a Teflon shield of hope and optimism. He says that this is both my greatest strength and my Achilles' heel. "You're too optimistic," he advises, "you need to be more realistic." What does that mean, being "realistic"? I've been thinking about that a lot. In many ways, it seems to me to be another word for limiting beliefs. Or a way to make sure you hold your hopes in check to avoid disappointment. To remain caged, as it ... Read more

Filed in: furoku membership, life • by sanae • 21 Comments

Happy Friday + Randomness

May 22, 2015

Happy Friday! A couple of days ago, I attended an event called "Young Author's Day" at K's school. It's a big deal -- the entire school participates and all the students are shuffled into groups of about 10 kids from various grades. Each student takes a turn reading a story he/she had written, and my favorite part is listening to the "About the Author" section. They all invariably include information about their family, a hobby and a totally random factoid like how they like to eat cereal for ... Read more

Filed in: black and white, illustration, life • by sanae • 6 Comments

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I just realized that this week marks 10 years sinc I just realized that this week marks 10 years since my first craft book Sewing Happiness was published. I’ve sewn literally thousands of garments and other textile projects in the last decade! I included a Sashiko primer in the book, and I’m delighted that this humble Japanese embroidery practice has stood the test of time - if anything, I’ve noticed that there’s an ever growing enthusiasm for hand stitching. Fun news: I’ll be teaching a virtual Sashiko workshop for @tatterbluelibrary on Thursday, April 30th at noon ET. Link in profile! Would love to see you there! 💙💙💙💙💙
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